Wings of Fire: The Rebel's Choice

Chapter 3

Shoebill stared back at the burly MudWing gazing at her with curious, dark eyes.

He almost reminded her of Crow, but this dragon's gaze was filled with curiosity and suprise, not hatred and anger.

She was completley lost for words, frozen with her talons dug into the grass. "Uhhh.... I was just leaving, sorry if I bothered you..."

"Sorry, sorry," the other MudWing said. "It's just I've never seen a MudWing hunt like that before. I thought that was how SkyWings hunt,"

Shoebill held her breath. She renembered the things the rebels reminded her of every day: Never tell anyone anything about us. Do not say who you are or who we are to any strange dragons.

"Umm... I'm Gravel, you?" the greyish dragon said, turning to reveal that his spines tapered into a SandWing-like sail and his tail ended in a barb.

He's a hybrid, Shoebill thought. I thougt Jackdaw said the Queen hated dragons from other tribes, especially hybrids. Why is he just chilling out here in the Sky Kingdom?

"I can't tell you my name," she responded, trying to look serious and brave by standing up straight. "I don't know who you are," her scales crawled with anxiety. Should I run? If I stay and talk I might say too much. But what if he follows me? I won't be able to fly as fast if I take the goat but I can't go hungry.

Her mind was racing with decisions and thoughts, until the other dragon finally decided for her. "Man, guess I'll leave if you want. Bye," and with that, the unusual hybrid bounded into the sky, briefly scraping the grass with his barbed tail.

On the way back, it didn't take long for Shoebill to decide not to tell anyone about Gravel. Even Oriole. It was for the better, and Jackdaw would be furious if they knew that Shoebill had talked with an outsider. It would be likeley someone would overhear them talking anway. They landed near the stream to see a circle of waiting dragons. "You're finally back," Jackdaw announced. "Eat some and then let's go. We'll pack it up,"

Shoebill slunk into a corner where she could nibble silently at her prey, occasionally looking up at the group. A large orange dragon mumbled some impatient words before sitting down to angrily wait. Still by the stream, Copper splashed through the clear running water, making sure his already shiny scales were pristine and perfect. Oriole crouched next to her, leaning in towards the prey. "Ooooh, can I have some?"

"Sure," she replied, ripping off one of the goat's legs for her friend. The two dragonesses ate in silence for a few minutes, until they were interupted by Jackdaw looming over them

"Ahem?"

"Oh. Right," Shoebill pushed the Carcass away while Copper grabbed it to wrap it up and carry it. She noticed him take a nibble while he packed- but she didn't care. She wasn't hungry anymore anyway.

"MudWings," Crow muttered as he crouched to take off, spreading his maroon wings. "Always hungry and distracted by food. Typical,"

What's that guy's problem? Shoebill thought, bending her own legs and wings to follow the soaring SkyWings that were just starting to leap into the sky. Why does he have such a grudge angainst me? And everything about other tribes? She flew low above the stream, beating her wings to climb as high as she could, as if she was trying to chase the clouds. Aren't we supposed to be nice to other tribes? Because the queen doesn't like them and Jackdaw wants to make the kingdom a better place?

Maybe he just has a grudge angaist me specifically. Topaz said he was the first to vote to leave my egg. Speaking- well, thinking of Topaz, maybe I should ask her.

She glided over, closer to Topaz, and leaned in, looking at the golden SkyWing's kind eyes.

"Hey Topaz?"

"Yes?"

Shoebill glanced around, making sure Crow wasn't in earshot. Luckily for her, he was flying right at the other side of the group, near Everest. Despite this, she still whispered, silencing her voice to the quitest volume that Topaz would be able to hear with all the wind rushing around her ears. "Why does Crow hate me?"

"Oh, dear. It's probably just because he was the first to vote to abandon you, renember? Or he just has something againt your tribe,"

Shoebill sighed. "No, I mean like, he really hates me. Aren't we supposed to like all the tribes, since the queen doesn't?"

For a second, Topaz looked mortified. Then she spoke up in an unusually angry tone for such a gentle dragon. "Enough, ok? I don't know!"

Suprised, Shoebill fell back again, at the back of the pack as she usually was. She'd never seen or heard Topaz be angry before. She was always calm and peaceful, even when her daughter Oriole messed up.

To be fully honest, Topaz was the closest thing Shoebill had to any real family. Topaz respected her more than any of the other SkyWings did, besides Oriole. But MudWings don't 'do' parents, don't they?

"STOP!" A voice suddenly called out.

For a moment, Shoebill thought it was Jackdaw, because of the voice's assertiveness and masculine sound.

But when she looked up, this wasn't the case. A group of armed SkyWings flew right in front of the group, beginning to circle around them.

"STOP IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN!"

Oh no.

"JACKDAW, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR REBELLING ANGAINST QUEEN HURRICANE'S ORDERS! THAT LITTLE GANG OF YOURS IS COMING WITH YOU!" the SkyWing in the lead yelled louder than a suit of armour tumbling down the stairs, holding up a poster cleary depicting Jackdaw's face, with 'WANTED' written across it in ominous red lettering.

A trickle of sweat ran past Shoebill's eye as she froze, flying in place. The lead SkyWing was holding onto Shoebill's talon, as the two dragons huffed smoke at each other for a few seconds that lingered on forever.

And then Jackdaw raised their claws and struck the orange dragon across her snout, letting out a furious battle cry.

The tension broke apart into intense chaos as SkyWings from two different sides flew at each other. Shoebill focused on dodging every dragon that dived and flapped by, doing a flip every second in all the confusion. Who am I supposed to attack? It's all SkyWings! I can't tell them apart when they're moving so fast!

The familiar dragon she noticed first was Everest- the female's strange red-grey scales, streaked through with brighter scars stood out, even with this many dragons fighting each other in one area.
Shoebill dived towards the eager warrior just as a dragon blasted a plume of fire straight at her, though Everest did a barrel role to dodge, biting him on the wing and swishing him aside, knocking the SkyWing off-course. Of course, Everest couldn't blast fire back. She was fireless, but still extremely skilled at using her teeth and claws.

Shoebill rammed into the smallest of the dragons trying to come at the scarred dragoness, hoping it would help her somehow. Luckily, the rebels seemed to outnumber the group trying to arrest them, and soon the lead dragon raised her head to call again.
"RETREAT!"
Fighting dragons split apart as just under half of them dived in the opposite direction in swift blurs of red and orange with the occasional splash of gold.

But not before orange-red claws slashed across a familiar golden throat.
"NO!" Oriole cried, diving after Topaz as she plummeted to the ground. The pink SkyWing fell desperately, her wings folded and her talons outstretched.

But it was too late. Topaz slammed into the rocky ground below with a sickening crunch.